Unlocked note 9 on TMobile

[Ryaan Johnson]

Anyone else using unlocked note 9 on TMobile? Any signal issues. Should I have went with a TMobile note 9? Is there Any difference?

 

[anon(5719825)]

Everything including WiFi calling and VoLTE will work on T-Mobile with the unlocked model. The signal will of course depend oh your area. I have an unlocked S9+ on T-Mobile. T-Mobile has the best signal in my area out of all the other carriers but your area may be different.

 

[anon(20964)]

All works on my unlocked Note 9 on T-mobile. Also great signal in the areas I frequent (home, work, around town etc). I hope that doesn't change.

 

[rhsortho]

My Note9 is my very first unlocked/unbranded device and it works great on T-Mobile. The signal is better than my T-Mobile S9+. Very happy with it.

 

[Theot]

So I have a question. Why did you guys go unlocked? Was it just because it's unlocked and there's no carrier apps?

 

[frederickdawg]

Does RCS messaging works using Samsung messaging app?

 

[anon(20964)]

So I have a question. Why did you guys go unlocked? Was it just because it's unlocked and there's no carrier apps?

For me since I've been using GSM phones basically since its introduction in USA, one of the premises of GSM technology was to decouple the handset from the service. Making the handset/phone just another piece hardware that could be changed at will. The key service link to the network was supposed to be the SIM. If I recall correctly, that was changed primarily by the major networks in the USA that operated and monetized the technology differently than the rest of the world. Overwhelmingly every other nation adopted GSM as ratified in the late 1990's.

Initially all the major carriers in the USA had implemented TDMA (Analog) then migrated to CDMA contrary to the rest of the world. In CDMA, the handset/phone remained tied to the network. Since then there has been efforts to merge CDMA/GSM technologies into one lead mostly by USA network owners because CDMA wasn't as future proof as GSM. It's not perfect but it is apparently still a work progress. From my perspective GSM has always been superior to CDMA from an advancement perspective. GSM is really what enabled text messaging (i.e. SMS).
I'm sure there will be some here that would contradict what I've written here, but this is my recollection and understanding based on my experience in the industry as an electrical/computer enginner.

Anyway long story short, since I have a long and intimate history with the technology, it is my view that the handset/phone should not be tied to or owned by the network. The notion that the handset/phone should be owned by the network is an old fashioned viewpoint stemming from POT/PSTN during AT&T monopoly era when people had to lease the landline phones from the telephone company. Therefore I have never owned a locked smartphone. In fact all early GSM phones were unlocked. The SIM may have been locked to a network but not the phone itself.

So that's my reasoning.

 

[Gary02468]

So I have a question. Why did you guys go unlocked? Was it just because it's unlocked and there's no carrier apps?

In my case, it was because better pre-order promotional deals were available for the unlocked model (free AKG NC BT earbuds, Duo fast-charger, and Dex station). And I'm on T-Mobile, which (unlike some carriers) is fully compatible with the unlocked model.

 

[anon(20964)]

Tmobile used to be Voicestream. Voicestream was always a purest GSM network - unlike all the other major cellular networks in the USA.

 

[Almeuit]

Tmobile used to be Voicestream. Voicestream was always a purest GSM network - unlike all the other major cellular networks in the USA.

The other major ones? It was always 50/50 .

 

[anon(20964)]

The other major ones? It was always 50/50 .

I can see how one would say that. But reality was much different.

I guess you're thinking the part of that 50/50 for GSM is AT&T.
Today's AT&T wireless is actually an imposter. An imposter that was aquired in the mid-2000's but the acquiring entity kept the AT&T name. It also had the funding to totally overhaul its wireless network technology preferring GSM probably because it recognized it was superior to CDMA overall.

If old AT&T had stayed in operation it would probably look and operate much like Verizon. (Based on CDMA, Big, expensive and nickle & dime its subscribers for every little feature).

 

[Almeuit]

I can see how one would say that. But reality was much different.

I guess you're thinking the part of that 50/50 for GSM is AT&T.
Today's AT&T wireless is actually an imposter. An imposter that was aquired in the mid-2000's but the acquiring entity kept the AT&T name. It also had the funding to totally overhaul its wireless network technology preferring GSM probably because it recognized it was superior to CDMA overall.

If old AT&T had stayed in operation it would probably look and operate much like Verizon. (Based on CDMA, Big, expensive and nickle & dime its subscribers for every little feature).

Well yeah I am not talking about "what ifs" though lol. I am talking about how it actually is and has been. In the future once they are all LTE (Verizon is shutting theirs down Dec. 2019) it won't really matter.

 

[Stanley Kubrick]

SO does your unlocked note 9 have band 71 for T-Mobile?

 

[mhunter6378]

SO does your unlocked note 9 have band 71 for T-Mobile?

According to the specifications listed on Samsung’s website it does

 

[anon(20964)]

SO does your unlocked note 9 have band 71 for T-Mobile?

According to this - yes...
https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9-sm-n960-model-number-differences/

 

[Rafa Cena]

All works on my unlocked Note 9 on T-mobile. Also great signal in the areas I frequent (home, work, around town etc). I hope that doesn't change.

Where did you buy your unlocked version? Was it from eBay? Was it a U.S. edition or from another country like Korea? I ask because when I got my S7 Edge unlocked I didn't get WiFi calling and VoLTE on it.

 

[Johnny Cakes1]

anyone get new update with night mode yet for unlocked tmobile?

 

[Fast-T]

Unlocked 9 with TMB is still on June security. Last update released was beginning of July. Wonder what is going on.